We’d cut our pay to curb migrants

DETERMINATION to slash EU immigration is so strong, millions of Britons would be prepared to suffer a salary cut in return, a new study reveals.

A poll found that, more than two months after the Brexit vote, immigration remains the public’s number one concern. More than a quarter of voters said they would be willing to contribute some of their earnings to cut the numbers flooding in.

The findings by YouGov are a sharp rebuttal to the pro-immigration lobby, which has claimed that we must continue with mass immigration or face a fall in living standards caused by lower growth.

The survey – for the Policy Exchange think-tank – shows 26 per cent of the British public are prepared to be hit in the pocket if it means bringing down the record numbers of EU migrants.

This is equivalent to more than eight million of the 33.6million who voted in the EU referendum.

Some 11 per cent of all respondents would pay as much as 5 per cent of their income to cut European migration to zero – the equivalent of £1,350 a year for someone earning the average wage. For those who voted leave on June 23, the figure rises to 20 per cent of respondents.

Fewer than four in ten (38 per cent) of the 1,660 surveyed said they would rather pay nothing and maintain current EU immigration levels.

Immigration and the economy were equally the two most concerning issues for voters, at 21 per cent.

In a paper for Policy Exchange, immigration expert David Goodhart said: ‘Maintaining the status quo when it comes to freedom of movement is clearly not an option, with a significant number of people saying they would make real sacrifices to reduce EU migration to zero.’

In a separate report published today, campaign group MigrationWatch warns the Government not to strike any deal with Brussels on free movement in order to stay inside the single market.